Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Vol. 5(16), pp.

422-429, December, 2012

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JGRP
DOI: 10.5897/JGRP12.060
ISSN 2070-1845 ©2012 Academic Journals

Review

Urbanization, housing quality and environmental

degeneration in Nigeria
Amao Funmilayo Lanrewaju
Department of Architecture, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. E-mail:
funmilayolanre@yahoo.com.
Accepted 20 November, 2012

This paper examines the housing quality in Nigeria cities and the impacts of urbanization on
environmental degeneration of urban built environment. The paper identifies the problems that have
aided the degeneration to: Inadequate basic infrastructural amenities, substandard housing,
overcrowding, poor ventilation in homes and work places, and noncompliance with building bye-laws
and regulations. In order to examine the above mentioned problems, the study included secondary
data. The secondary data involved available census data, official documents and other relevant
secondary data were obtained from existing literature, on books and journals. The paper finds that the
poor housing quality has serious adverse effects on environment and the health of city residents.
Strategies for improving the built environment for sustainable living are suggested. The paper
concluded that it is imperative to check and prevent further decay for harmonious living and
sustainable developments.

Key words: Urbanization, environmental, degeneration, substandard, housing, housing quality, overcrowding.

INTRODUCTION

The built environment in many developing countries Urbanization in Nigeria

particularly Nigeria is fast degenerating. The factors
responsible for this can be attributed to rapid urbani- The phenomenon of urbanization is a consequence of
zation, rural-urban migration, and decades of steady population increase and migration from rural to urban
economic downturn, decay of urban infrastructure and areas and growth-centres. The urban growth rate in
poor housing quality (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria today is put at 5.8% per annum (Draft NUDP,
Osuide and Dimuna (2005) noted that the urbanization 2004). Rural economy is principally agrarian. But, under
process in many developing countries particularly conditions of increasing population and diminishing rural
Nigeria, has not been accompanied with a corresponding resources, some contingent of rural population migrates
supply of adequate houses, basic amenities and to urban areas for helpful job security, higher education,
infrastructures. higher income, better health and linger life. The result
These have created demand on housing stocks leading usually is disappointed and disillusion as the poor in
to high rents, overcrowding and development of slums some cities have a better life than those in rural areas.
settlements (Onibokun, 1972; Olotuah, 2005) and also Old settlements are congested and crowded, new forma-
have serious impact on the built environment and serious tions emerge without preliminary design and planning,
consequences on health of city residents. Another and without preliminary design and planning, and without
problem of the Nigerian urban built environment is non- infrastructure.
compliance with building bye-laws and regulations. The The problem of uncontrolled urbanization in Nigeria is
major areas of default are in the area of zoning, setbacks, already with us in all our cities. The Draft National Urban
building along utility lines and non-adherence to provision Development Policy (NUDP, 2004) notes that, Nigeria
of adequate ventilation (Osuide and Dimuna, 2005). towns are growing without adequate planning. Millions of
 Lanrewaju 423

Nigerians live in sub-standard and sub-human environ- mortality and migration. This population increase directly
ment, plagued by slum, squalor and grossly inadequate bears on urbanization, requiring a whole range of urban
social amenities. The result is manifested in growing services and infrastructure, together with job creation for
overcrowding in homes and increasing pressure on infra- the population able and willing to work.
structural facilities and rapid deteriorating environment.
In Europe, urbanization brought increased wealth and
economic earnings, higher education, lower fertility, Housing quality in Nigeria
better health, longer life and more amenities. But in
Africa, and indeed, in Nigeria, the opposite is the case. The definition of housing quality embraces many factors
The Executive Director of African Population and Health which include the physical condition of the building and
Research Centre, Nairobi, observes that in African other facilities and services that make living in a particular
States, research has shown that urbanization is attended area conducive. The quality of housing within any
by reduction in earnings, and other social indicators, neighbourhood should be such that satisfies minimum
adding that rural communities have better social and health standards and good living standard, but should
economic indicators than those in urban slums. also be affordable to all categories of households
(Okewole and Aribigbola, 2006).

Urbanization and urban growth

Housing
Nigeria has been experiencing a rapid rate of urbani-
zation. In 1952, 10% of the population lived in urban Housing is however an issue that touches on the life of
centres with a population of 20,000 people and above. individuals as well as that of the nation; a great
This increased to 20 and 38% in 1970 and 1993 importance is therefore ascribed to the role it plays in
respectively. By the year 2010, it is estimated that 60% of engendering human comfort by both nature and society.
the population will live in cities. The growth in the size of This is why Eldredge (1967) concludes that housing
cities has been equally rapid, in 1960; Lagos and Ibadan represents a bundle of goods and services which
were the only two cities with more than 500,000 people. facilitate and enhance good living; and a key to
The number increased to 9 by 1980, and 14 by 1990. neighbourhood quality and preservation. Likewise,
This is expected to rise substantially by 2010 (UNCSD, Agbola (1998) notes that housing is a combination of
1997, Agenda 21 - Nigeria). characteristics which provide a unique home within any
A feature of urban environments, especially in Africa is neighbourhood; it is an array of economic, social and
the influx of rural dwellers into the urban areas in search psychological phenomena. In other words, housing could
of jobs. These jobs are sometimes unavailable and large be seen as a multidimensional package of goods and
segments of the unemployed in this migrant group are services extending beyond shelter itself.
usually without a sustainable means of livelihood and
may eventually be classified among the urban poor,
thereby making up a part of the estimated 70% of the Indicators for evaluating housing quality
urban population that live in unplanned squatter
settlements with no basic infrastructural services in cities The need to appreciate the relevance of a habitable
like Lagos (NHCS, 1998). (qualitative) housing therefore, requires an understanding
of the concept of „quality ‟which according to Onion, cited
in (Afon, 2000), “is a mental or moral attribute of thing
Population size and growth rate which can be used when describing the nature, condition
or property of that particular thing”. McCray, cited in
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the (Jiboye, 2004), noted that getting a definition of quality
tenth in the world. These include the major demographic depends not only on the user and his or her desires, but
features as obtained from two major sources, viz.: the also on the product being considered.
1991 census and the PRB's Word Population Data Sheet. In essence, quality is a product of subjective judgment
According to the final figures of the 1991 census, the which arises from the overall perception which the
population of Nigeria, at the time, was 88.92 million. individual holds towards what is seen as the significant
Projection of the population, using a 3.0% growth rate, elements at a particular point in time (Anantharajan,
shows that the population of Nigeria could be about 106 1983; Olayiwola et al., 2006). In assessing the quality or
million in 1999. The Population Reference Bureaus suitability of housing, qualitative studies have identified
estimated total population of the country in 1999 to be some criteria as relevant indicators for quality evaluation
about 113.8 million. in residential development. Among such is Ebong (1983)
Population growth rate is influenced by the interplay of who acknowledged aesthetics, ornamentation, sanitation,
the three main demographic processes of fertility, drainage, age of building, access to basic housing
424 J. Geogr. Reg. Plann.

facilities, burglary, spatial adequacy, noise level within infrastructures to keep pace with the rate of growth.
neighbourhood, sewage and waste disposal, air pollution Inadequate storm drains, dumping of refuse in drainage
and ease of movement among others, as relevant quality lines and construction of houses close to and even on the
determinants in housing. However, Hanmer et al. (2000) natural water channels have been shown to be
conclude that qualitative housing involves the provision of responsible in that order for the increasing cases of flood
infrastructural services which could bring about in the urban centres. Environment problems associated
sustainable growth and development through improved with the increasing growth of urban slums including
environmental conditions and improved livelihood. In overcrowding in squalid housing conditions, poor quality
determining the quality of residential development, or unavailability of basic infrastructures and social
Neilson (2004) stipulates five basic criteria which provide services, such as water and sewage facilities and even
that housing must be in compliance with tolerable lack of access routes (NEST, 1992).
standard, free from serious disrepair, energy efficient, ii. Overpopulation: Population is a major factor in all
provided with modern facilities and services, and that it environmental-related issues. Overpopulation causes
must be healthy, safe and secure. stress on the environment. There are evidences every-
These indicators consist of variables such as; access to where of rapid decline in environmental quality and
basic housing and community facilities, the quality of human living conditions occasioned by rapid increase in
infrastructural amenities, spatial adequacy and quality of human numbers.
design, fixtures and fittings, building layout and land- The Federal Government of Nigeria (1988) National
scaping, noise and pollution control as well as security. Policy on population for development also made the
There are however indications from these various studies observation that “the present high rate of our population
that a single variable may not be sufficient to assess the growth is already contributing substantially to the
qualitative nature of residential development; therefore, degradation of the ecology of the country.
housing acceptability and qualitative assessment should iii. Poverty: There is an inextricable link between poverty
also take into account type of constructions, materials and environmental degeneration. Poverty can be the
used, services, spatial arrangement and facilities within cause or the effect of environmental degeneration. Either
dwellings, function and aesthetics, among others (Olu- way, good quality environments cannot be achieved in
Sule and Gur, noted in Jiboye, 2004). the face of glaring poverty.

Environmental degeneration Characteristic of environmental degeneration

The unwise use of the natural environment due to igno- Ahianba et al. (2005) analyse the characteristics of
rance, poverty, overpopulation and urbanization amongst environmental degeneration as follows: Inadequate basic
others has led to the degeneration of the environment. infrastructural amenities, substandard housing, over-
The charges (degeneration) occur as Nigerians attempt crowding, poor ventilation in homes and work places, and
to adjust their seemingly endless wants and desires for non-compliance with building bye-laws and regulations.
food, shelter, recreation, infrastructural facilities, and so
on (NEST, 1992). These land use activities contribute to i) Inadequate basic infrastructural amenities: Most of our
the overall development of the country but they equally urban centres lack essential basic amenities such as pipe
produce negative impact on the environment. These borne water, electricity, and road network. Where they
negative impacts are referred to as environmental are provided, these facilities are insufficient or do not
degeneration which implies “abuse of the environment” function due to neglect by relevant authorities.
due to improper resources management. Waste disposal is also a major problem in our urban
centres, especially in most slum areas and squatter
settlements. There are no planned disposal sites for
Causes of environmental degeneration refuse with a resultant indiscriminate refuse disposal on
any available sites.
The causes of these impacts includes; urbanization, ii) Substandard housing: Shelter which connotes housing
overpopulation, poverty and all kinds of pollution. These has a fundamental purpose of protecting man, his
impacts have both negative and positive effects on the activities and his possessions from humans, animals and
natural environment. It is the negative impacts of man‟s other enemies and from the supernatural powers that
interaction with the environment that are discussed as plague man. Osuide (2004) suggests that: “Having a safe
follows. place to live in is one of the fundamental elements of
human dignity and this enhances human development”.
i. Urbanization: Environmental conditions in cities have Substandard housing in urban centres is a major problem
gradually deteriorated due to the rapid growth of the cities of our cities. The problems resulted from the fact that
and the attendance inability of social services and they were never planned by experts but sprang from
 Lanrewaju 425

villages. temporary housing that does not meet building codes.

iii) Overcrowding: Another noticeable characteristic of our Unfortunately, the number of people living in the slums
urban centres is overcrowding; arising from over or substandard housing is increasing. Crime rates are
population and insufficient accommodation. Over- also high in this area, since there is very little light at night
crowding is a major problem of our built environment and police protection.
especially in slums and squalid environment Substandard housing is a serious issue. It can be a
iv) Poor ventilation in buildings: In some Nigerian homes place where diseases spread quickly because of lack of
and offices, ventilation is not included while planning for sanitation and garbage disposal problems. Lack of clean
such buildings but this is the most vital aspect of water for washing and drinking can also cause diseases.
construction that makes for comfortable living. Izomoh
(2005) cited that most residential buildings have been
designed and constructed with little or no consideration HOUSING QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENT
for the thermal comfort through the process of cross-
ventilation. The quality of the environment in most urban centres in
v) Non-compliance with building Bye-laws and Nigeria is deplorable. This is not so much dependent on
regulations: The consequence of non-compliance with the material characteristics of the buildings (Mabogunje,
building bye-laws and regulations are already manifesting 1980) but on their organization as spatial units. The slow
and are being felt in our urban centres. process of urban planning and zoning, in the face of rapid
urbanisation in most urban centres, has resulted in poor
layout of buildings with inadequate roads between them
URBANIZATION AND HOUSING QUALITY and inadequate drainage and provision for refuse
evacuation. Thus there is a high incidence of pollution
As a result of urbanization and lack of economic oppor- (water, solid waste, air and noise) and inadequacy of
tunities in rural areas, many people move to the cities. open spaces for other land uses.
They move to the cities that are already dealing with
issues of overcrowding, infrastructure and high cost of
living. This forces them to seek shelter in slums. United Impact of housing quality on the environmental
Nation Habitat in 2006 found that 90% of slum residents degeneration
are in the developing countries with struggling econo-
mies. Studies have shown the deplorable conditions of urban
In addition, cities were not mean to handle millions of housing in Nigeria (Onibokun, 1972; Wahab et al., 1990;
people streaming in when designed. This impact the Olotuah, 2005; Jagun, 2003) sites that 75% of the
availability and affordability of housing, forcing millions to dwelling units in Nigeria‟s urban centres are substandard
live in substandard dwellings. and the dwellings are sited in slums. These results from
combined effects of natural ageing of the buildings, lack
of maintenance and neglect, wrong use of the buildings,
Effect of urbanization on housing quality poor sanitation in the disposal of sewage and solid waste,
wrong development of land, and increasing deterioration
The rapid increase in the population of the urban centres of the natural landscape.
has resulted in an increase in the cost of living, because
of higher demand on urban commodities that are getting
shorter in supply by the day. Thus there is a dearth and CASE STUDY 1: OSHOGBO
high cost of urban land, and high cost of housing, which
is often in short supply and out of the economic reach of Oshogbo is situated on latitude 7.7 and longitude 4.5E of
the majority of the urban households who incidentally fall Greenwich Meridian. It was founded in the late 18th
into the low-income category. The greater percentage of century and originated as a traditional as well as cultural
the poor in the urban area lives in the slum area of the town which derives its name from the proclamation by the
city. This is mainly because substandard accommodation goddess of Osun River.
there is very cheap and the neighbourhoods are in close The town is known for her very rich arts and cultural
proximity to their work places. heritage. Following the creation of Osun State in 1991,
Substandard housing is the type of housing that does Oshogbo assumed the status of a State capital, having
not meet the standards for living by people. These two local governments which are Oshogbo and Olorunda
standards are usually set by governments and deal with (Jiboye, 2009). Its population, based on 1991 census was
2
how safe the dwelling is for people to live. For example, 189,733 and the total land area was about 2,875 km
there may not be appropriate heating, plumbing, elec- before it became the State capital (Akanji, 1994; Akinola,
tricity or proper sanitation. Often substandard housing is 1998).
deteriorated housing that has not been repaired or Over the years, Oshogbo has witnessed tremendous
426 J. Geogr. Reg. Plann.

growth both spatially and in population. The esta- wellbeing of the individual, the community and the nation
blishment of a railway station is perhaps the most at large.
important single factor in the growth of Oshogbo. Apart
from the railway, postal and telecommunication, NEPA
regional station, road network and some small as well as CASE STUDY 2: AKURE
large-scale business exist. Oshogbo thus became a
major trading and distribution centre for people within and The study area
outside its immediate environment.
In recent times, the location of Oshogbo as a state Akure is a traditional Nigeria city and like other traditional
capital coupled with other factors mentioned earlier has Yoruba towns in the country, it existed long before the
led to the influx of people from other towns and villages. advent of British colonial rule. The city is located within
Oshogbo exhibits both traditional as well as modern Ondo State in the South Western part of Nigeria. It lies
characteristics (Adenaike, 1991; Egunjobi, 1995). Its approximately on latitude 70. 2 North of the Equator and
current population is estimated to about 845,000 longitude 50. 2 East of the Greenwich Meridian. Akure is
(Wikipedia, 2010). a medium-sized urban centre and became the provincial
headquarter of Ondo province in 1939. It also became
the capital city of Ondo State and a Local Government
Physical characteristics of Oshogbo headquarters in 1976.
Akure is located approximately 700 km South West of
Oshogbo has a considerable variation in its physical Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria. The population of
pattern and growth. The Oba‟s palace and the traditional the city grew from 144,544 in 1987 to 148,880 in 1988
market (Oja Oba) acts as a central focus (Ojo, 1966). and 153,347 in 1989 to 157,947 in 1990 (Ondo State of
This is surrounded by residential districts which form the Nigeria, 1990). The 1991 national population census
core of the city. This area comprises of buildings and however, put the population of Akure at 239,124 and its
development dated back to the pre-colonial period. Most estimated population in 2006 was 353,211 (NPC, 2006).
of the buildings and infrastructure in the interior part of At present the city is estimated to have over 387,087
Oshogbo are already very old and in need of people (Wikipedia).
rehabilitation.
Next to the core area is the intermediate zone. This Characteristics of the buildings in Akure
zone is made up of buildings and development which
existed from between 1935 and 1960. Most of the There are three neighbourhoods in the core area of
dwellings here are of the contemporary types. This zone Akure, namely Erekesan-Erekefa (A), Idiagba-Ijemikin
is followed by the periphery and the newly developed (B), and Obanla (C). Most buildings in these neigh-
area. The houses here are of better quality than those of bourhoods are in very poor state, as less than 5% of
other zones. them are in sound conditions (Olotuah, 2000b). The
It is however noted that development in Oshogbo is buildings require one form of repairs or the other to make
noticed as one moves from the interior towards the them physically sound (Table 1).
outskirts while most of the business districts are inter- The placement and layout of the buildings in the
woven with residential districts (Egunjobi, 1995). neighbourhoods are amorphous and disorganized. The
dominant house type in the areas is the rooming house
built on one or two stories. In most of the buildings the
Effect of urbanization on housing quality in Oshogbo few bathrooms and toilets are located completely outside,
often times at the back of the buildings. The buildings are
Despite the provision and availability of some basic characterized by overcrowding, with high proportions of
infrastructures like water, electricity, telecommunication people living in single rooms. Olotuah (2005) notes that
and road networks in Oshogbo, the level and condition of the average number of rooms occupied by a household in
these facilities are still very inadequate as a result of the Akure, the capital city of Ondo state, Nigeria is 1.29 while
rapid rate of urbanization and population growth wit- the average room occupancy (number of persons per
nessed in the town in recent times. room) is 4.42. The United Nations Standard for Nigeria
The quality of housing amenities and infrastructures is for room occupancy is 2.20; the World Health Organi-
generally poor and falls below the expected standard. zation (WHO, 1990) stipulates between 1.8 and 3.1, while
the Nigerian Government prescribed standard is 2.0 per
room (Okoko, 2001).
Possible solution to poor housing quality in Oshogbo

Significantly, adequate housing contributes not only to Urbanisation and housing quality in Akure
national development but also determines the health,
security, sanitation and socio-cultural and physical The rate of urbanisation in Akure outpaces the rate of
 Lanrewaju 427

Table 1. State of repair of buildings in the three inner-city neighborhoods of Akure.

State Erekesan-Erekefa (A) Idiagba-Ijemikin (B) Obanla (C)

Sound 0.0 5.0 5.0
Requires minor repairs 74.0 35.0 55.0
Requires major repairs 26.0 60.0 40.0
Dilapidated 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source: Olotuah, 2000b.

economic development. Despite the enormous amount of The community participation approach
money proposed for urban investment in the National
Development Plan very limited investment is made in her Hamdi (1995) describes community participation as “the
infrastructure (Olotua, 2005). An increasing shortage of process by which professional, families, community
urban services and infrastructure characterize Akure groups, government officials and others get together to
town, and these are only accessible to a diminishing work something out, preferably in a formal or informal
share of the population. The existing urban services are partnership”
overstrained which often times lead to total collapse. A It is increasingly being recognized that the top-down
large proportion of the population does not have approach to planning which assumes that communities
reasonable access to safe and ample water supply, and do not know their infrastructural needs, has been the
neither do they have the means for hygienic waste reason for the failure of many initiatives. The community
disposal (Olotuah, 2000). As argued elsewhere (Olotuah, participation approach believes that communities know
2002), the demand for urban services in Akure has grown their need and should be consulted and carried along in
over the years but the overall quality and coverage of the decision-making process.
public services have deteriorated.

Nigeria government’s intervention

INTERVENTION IN HOUSING QUALITY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGENERATION Improvement in urban housing is of utmost importance in
urban development. Housing is in short supply and
Environmental problems such as urbanization, over- therefore a comprehensive review of the housing needs
population, poor housing quality and pollution become of the urban areas is imperative. More importantly the
important paradigms in Nigeria in the last three decades. housing needs of the low-income earners, who constitute
Similarly, Government, Non-governmental Organization, the vast majority of urban dwellers, have to be clearly
corporate bodies and individual‟s interests in reducing, discerned to engender adequate planning for them. In
stemming and mitigating the consequences of environ- this regard the public sector has to clearly define its role,
mental degeneration is very recent. It was not until which indeed should be to facilitate an enduring
December 1988 that the federal Government passed the environment for the private sector. A number of problems
Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) Decree militate against the participation of the private sector in
58 setting up FEPA to work out rules governing the housing provision (Olotuah, 2005) and the public sector is
handling of Nigerian‟s environment. favourably positioned to improve them.
FEPA as an institution or agency is foreign to the
people. It is not indigenous. The concept or idea did not
evolve from the people‟s tradition or way of life. FEPA is Public housing delivery in Nigeria
far from the people and the environment. For FEPA to
succeed, certain basic ideas about environmental The intervention of the public sector in the provision of
management have to be conceptualized. Before the low-cost houses, especially for low-income earners, is
down of modernization, our people where tied intricately desirable and should be pursued with vigour. The
to their environment. They have the technology of housing programmes should be based on genuine local
utilizing the resources within the environment, and participation in order to ensure sustainability. This is
protecting same from despoliation. In this regard the because local communities are in the best position to
concept of FEPA should be community based. The frame identify their needs, and order their priorities.
work which should be community based will be organize Local communities have valuable experience, a special
at the following levels: Ward and the local government understanding of their environment, their local building
level. resources and the ways of making the best uses of them.
428 J. Geogr. Reg. Plann.

Thus housing that will be properly rooted in the cultural, beauty, backed by a lively appreciation of the visual world
climatic, socio-economic circumstances of the people can by the people.
only emanate from within the communities.

Development of urban and rural settlements

Extensive urban renewal programmes
We must ensure that all our urban and rural settlements
Most urban centres require extensive urban renewal are developed in an orderly fashion to achieve goals and
programmes. The aim is to improve the environment in objectives of good planning. Therefore, the three tiers of
which the houses are situated and the programmes entail government should take urgent steps to stem the
the redevelopment, rehabilitation or renovation of degradation of urban settlement caused through lack of
buildings. Because the residents of the neighbourhoods adequate planning (Ahianb and Dimuna, 2005).
in the core areas of the city are culturally attached to the
land it is impracticable to embark on total clearance and
resettlement programmes. Slum upgrading and improve- Stimulation of an effective urban and rural
ment should therefore be aimed at. development programme

Motivation of effective urban and rural development

The poverty alleviation programmes programme by the provision of basic amenities, services
and infrastructural facilities would encourage develop-
Poor housing is intricately linked with poverty and it is ment in the rural areas and consequently, serve as
indeed informed by it, thus government has a definite role growth poles and springboards for the redistribution of
to play in addressing the high unequal distribution of population and traffic patterns for balanced development.
wealth in the country. The poverty alleviation program-
mes of government should be stepped up to reduce
unemployment rate in the country. Efforts of international agencies

Continuation of efforts of international agencies by being

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING THE BUILT supportive of their programmes aimed at improving our
ENVIRONMENT environment. Presently in Nigeria, the World Bank has
been involved in some urban renewal projects to ensure
It has been established that our urban environments are better environment; through UNDP- Assisted projects.
degenerating. Therefore, governments at various levels These UNDP-Assisted projects have helped to deliver
must step in and “help” the citizens. Also, international better quality and cost-effective basic services to urban
agencies must assist in the spirit of the Millennium residents especially the poor. Most of these projects were
Development Goals and sustainable development. These a response to rapid and unplanned urban growth, often
tools should be used effectively to ensure a healthier on environmentally vulnerable land with poor infra-
urban development for sustainable human development. structure. It is necessary that these efforts should be
To achieve this process we must do the following. supported by the various tiers of government, that is,
federal, states and local governments for good housing
development.
Creation of aesthetics value and beautification of It is imperative that the international agencies should
urban environment be directly involved in their own initiated projects to
achieve better results. This is important, because funds
Architecture of the environment can satisfy some of the previously donated by these international agencies were
psychological needs of the people in a community. Visual diverted; while the donors‟ intentions were ignored and
pleasures relax a troublesome heart and aids longevity. neglected. A typical example is the ADP sponsored
The psychological impact of a pleasant surrounding is of Urban Water Projects, which has been abandoned in
considerable help in fostering a spirit of community some states in Nigeria and ignored and neglected to date
belonging, civic pride, integration and enjoyment. Good by successive administrations.
landscaping is a powerful tool to achieve a pleasant
environment. Landscaping contributes to visual satis-
faction, which has a profound effect on the psychological Enlightenment and education of people on sanitation
nature of man. and environmental matters
Therefore, developments should attempt to provide for
aesthetics and beautification especially through the The provision of facilities required for achieving good
creation of open spaces of a design quality to accompany disposal systems are measures that favour preventive
such development. Beautiful environment and community environmental decay. The mass distribution of refuse
can be created only through a deliberate search for bins by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is
 Lanrewaju 429

a welcome development. Also, the availability of incine- Annual Review, World Health Organization (2005). “Annual Review of
Environment and Health in Africa” July 2004 - June 2005 WHO
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water closets as contained in the Environmental Sanita- Aribigbola A (2000). Conceptual Issues in Housing Provision in Nigeria.
tion Programme instituted by the Federal Government in In: Akinbamijo OB, Fawechinmi AB, Ogunsemi DR and Olotuah A
1984 are good measures taken which is helping (ed). Effective Housing in the 21st Century Nigeria: Environmental
Forum FUTA, Nigeria.
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Lagos State Governments is very commendable. Other Draft National Housing Policy (2004).
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Ebong MO (1983). The Perception of Residential Quality: A case study
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